Surfers Against Sewage need help from all you Beach Bums

Human sewage and diffuse pollution in our seas are a hazard we all face and are exposed to at times when we hit the water to surf. To investigate the impact of this pollution and antibiotic resistant bacteria on wave riders, Surfers Against Sewage have launched Beach Bums, and have joined forces with scientists from the University of Exeter and have launched a new campaign that requires volunteers providing a swab from their bum!

The Beach Bums study is seeking the help of 150 bodyboarders and surfers from around the UK who surf at least 3 times a month and in turn asking them to recruit a non surfer to join the study. All volunteers will be provided with a Beach Bum kit and a questionaire and asked to take a swab from their rectum to collect microbes that will then be scrutinised.

The team are aiming to study the microbes that are found in the guts of surfers who on average swallow around 170ml of seawater per surf and how antibiotic resistant bacteria in that water affects the microbes that live within the gut. If you are interested in helping the SAS in their latest campaign and fancy becoming a Beach Bum, then register your interest with david@sas.org.uk To find out more information on the SAS and their various campaigns head over to the official website here.Feel free to let us know if you have volunteered and have you ever been violently ill after a surf?